Clamp assembly

ABSTRACT

A clamp assembly selectively grips material. The clamp assembly is connectable to an object, and includes a housing and a gripping assembly. The housing has a first end, a second end, a first portion and a second portion. The first and second portions cooperate to define a material receiving slot. The first portion of the housing has an angular disposed channel and an angular disposed recessed portion. The second portion of the housing has a gripping surface. The gripping assembly is slidably disposed within the channel such that the recessed portion cooperates with the channel to define a travel path so that the gripping assembly can be selectively movable between a biased first position and a second position. In the biased first position, the gripping assembly extends into the material receiving slot. In the second position the gripping assembly is withdrawn from the material receiving slot.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 12/415,726,filed Mar. 31, 2009, which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No.11/713,395, filed Mar. 2, 2007, each of which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to clamp assemblies, and moreparticularly, but not by way of limitation, to an improved clampassembly for selectively gripping material.

2. Brief Description of the Related Art

Clamp assemblies which employ a wedging effect have been used forgripping sheet materials, including paper, metal plates, and slabs ofconcrete. Such clamp assemblies tend to fall into one of two categories:those that are simple in construction and those that are complex inconstruction. Both the simple and complex clamp assemblies are generallylimited in their functionality. That is, they are usually intended to beused for a specific purpose and for gripping a specific type ofmaterial. In the case of the clamp assemblies of simple construction,they generally have less gripping power than those of more complexconstruction. However, the complex clamp assemblies are obviously moreexpensive to construct and more complicated to use.

To this end, a need exists for an effective clamp assembly that issimple in construction and which can be used on a variety of materialsand at a variety of locations. It is to such a clamp assembly that thepresent invention is directed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a clamp assembly constructed inaccordance with the present invention, shown gripping a piece ofmaterial.

FIG. 2 is an exploded, perspective view of the clamp assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded, perspective view of a gripping assembly of theclamp assembly of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of one section of a housing of the clampassembly of the present invention illustrating the gripping assembly ina biased, extended material engaging position.

FIG. 5 is an elevational of the section of the housing of the clampassembly of FIG. 4 in a retracted position.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a clamp assemblyconstructed in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, aclamp assembly 10 constructed in accordance with the present inventionis shown gripping a material 12. The material 12 gripped by the clampassembly 10 may be sheets of material, tarps, covers, belts, straps orthe like. Material of various shapes and sizes including materialshaving inconsistent shapes may be gripped. It should be understood thatthe clamp assembly 10 may be secured to any suitable structure, such asa vehicle, including a trailer, and may be used to secure various items.In addition, it should be understood that the clamp assembly 10 is notlimited to use with a vehicle, but may be connected to any structure soas to grip a desired material.

The clamp assembly 10 is desirably made of a durable, substantiallyrigid material which is strong enough to grip any material. Suitablematerials for construction of the clamp assembly 10 and componentsthereof include metals such as aluminum, steel, titanium, magnesium oralloys thereof, polymeric materials, and composite materials which arecapable of providing the desired strength and durability to the clampassembly 10.

The clamp assembly 10 includes a housing 14 and a gripping assembly 16.The housing 14 of the clamp assembly is shown having a substantiallyU-shaped structure. While the clamp assembly 10 is shown as U-shaped, itshould be understood that the clamp assembly 10 may be any shape, suchas V-shaped, C-shaped, and the like, as long as the clamp assembly 10 iscapable of selectively gripping material in accordance with the presentinvention. It is contemplated that the housing 14 is constructed frommultiple components, however, it should be understood that the housing14 may be constructed as a single component.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the housing 14 is provided with asubstantially U-shaped configuration and has a first end 18, a secondend 20, a first portion 22 and a second portion 24. A lug 26 extendsfrom the second end 20 of the housing 14, substantially as shown, forselectively connecting a connecting member (not shown), such as a bungeecord, rope, strap, cable, or other suitable device to the clamp assembly10 to enable the clamp assembly 10 to be selectively connected to asupport structure (also not shown). Examples of support structuresinclude various locations of a vehicle and stakes or rods positioned inthe ground. The first and second portions 22 and 24 of the housing 14cooperate to define a material receiving slot 28 therebetween, whichextends from the first end 18 of the housing 14 and terminates adistance 30 from the second end 20 of the housing 14. The first portion22 of the housing 14 is provided with an angularly disposed channel 32having a first end 34 terminating a distance 35 from the first end 18 ofthe housing 14 and a second end 36 terminating a distance 37 from thesecond end 20 of the housing 14. The second portion 24 of the housing 14defining the material receiving slot 28 is provided with a grippingsurface 38 disposed along at least a portion thereof.

As more clearly shown in FIG. 2, the housing 14 is shown constructed ofa first section 40 and a second section 42. The first section 40 and thesecond section 42 are mirror images of one another except that the firstsection 40 is provided with a plurality of female connector members,such as openings 44, and the second section 42 is provided with aplurality of male connector members, such as pins 46. Upon matinglydisposing one of the pins 46 in one of the openings 44, the first andsecond sections 40 and 42 may be connected to form the housing 14substantially as shown in FIG. 1, by use of a suitable adhesive, sonicwelding, or other suitable means for securing the first and secondsections 40 and 42. Furthermore, the size and shape of the openings 44and the pins 46 may be varied.

The lug 26, which extends outwardly from the second end 20 of thehousing 14, is likewise constructed of a first section 48 having anaperture 50 and a second section 52 having an aperture 54. The apertures50 and 54 provided in the first and second sections 48 and 52 of the lug26 are disposed substantially adjacent and the apertures 50 and 54provided in the first and second sections 48 and 52 of the lug 26 areaxially aligned substantially as shown in FIG. 1.

An inner surface 56 of the first section 48 of the lug 26 is providedwith a recessed portion 58 extending about the aperture 50, and an innersurface 60 of the second section 52 of the lug 26 is provided with arecessed portion 62 extending about the aperture 54. The recessedportion 58 and 62 formed about the apertures 50 and 54 are sized tosubstantially receive a reinforcing member, such as a washer 64 havingan aperture 66 substantially corresponding in size to the apertures 50and 54. The washer 64 is desirably disposed within one of the recessedportions 58 and 60 of the first and second sections 48 and 52 of the lug26, such as the recessed portion 62 on the inner surface 60 of thesecond section 52 of the lug 26, such that upon assembling the housing14, the first and second sections 48 and 52 of the lug 26 are disposedsubstantially adjacent one another and the washer 64 is disposed withinthe recessed portions 58 and 62 or the washer 64 may be embedded in oneof the first or second sections 48 and 52, whereby the washer 64functions to reinforce and thus strengthening the portion of the firstand second sections 48 and 52 of the lug 26 surrounding the aperture 50and 54 in the first and second sections 48 and 52 of the lug 26.

As previously stated, the first and second sections 40 and 42 of thehousing 14 are substantially mirror images of one another. Thus, aninner surface 67 of the first section 40 of the housing 14 is providedwith an angularly disposed recessed portion 68 extending in a downwardlydirection toward the first end 18 of the housing 14 so as to intersectthe material receiving slot 28 formed by the connection of the first andsecond sections 40 and 42 of the housing 14. An inner surface 69 of thesecond section 42 of the housing is provided with an angularly disposedrecessed portion 70 extending in a downwardly direction toward the firstend 18 of the housing 14 so as to intersect the material receiving slot28 formed by the connection of the first and second sections 40 and 42of the housing 14 (See FIGS. 2, 4, and 5).

As shown, the angularly disposed recessed portion 68 is a mirror imageof the angularly disposed recessed portion 70. Thus, in a connectedposition of the first and second sections 40 and 42 of the housing 14,the angularly disposed portions 68 and 70 cooperate to provide theangularly disposed channel 32 which defines a travel path for thegripping assembly 16 so that the gripping assembly 16 can be selectivelymoved between a biased first position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 whereina portion of the gripping assembly 16 extends into the materialreceiving slot 28, and a second position (FIG. 5) wherein the grippingassembly 16 is withdrawn from the material receiving slot 28.

The first and second sections 40 and 42 of the housing 14 also cooperateto form a slot 72 in the first portion 22 of the housing 22. The slot 72openingly communicates with the angularly disposed channel 32 whichdefines the travel path for the gripping assembly 16 and the materialreceiving slot 28 of the housing 14 so that the gripping assembly 16 canbe selectively moved between the biased first position and the secondposition.

Referring more specifically to FIGS. 2 and 3, the gripping assembly 16is shown as having a guide plate 74, a neck member 76 and a rollerassembly 78. The guide plate 74 is disposed on an outer surface 80 ofthe first portion 22 of the housing 14. A finger projection 82 extendsupwardly from the guide plate 74 and the neck member 76 is connected tothe guide plate 74 so that the neck member 76 extends into and throughthe slot 72 formed in the first portion 22 of the housing 14. The rollerassembly 78 includes an axle 84 connected to a lower end portion 86 ofthe neck member 76 and a pair of rollers 88 and 90 connected to the axle84 such that each roller 88 and 90 is able to rotate independently ofthe other roller. A spring retainer 92 is connected to the neck member76 so as to be substantially aligned with the rollers 88 and 90 while atthe same time preventing interference with the rollers 88 and 90. Thespring retainer 92 is provided with an aperture 94 therein adapted toreceive one end 96 of a spring 98. An opposite end 100 of the spring 98is disposed within a recessed portion 102 formed in one end 104 of thechannel 32 substantially as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. To facilitateassembly of the spring 98 and the housing 14, the first section 48 ofthe housing 14 may be provided with a protrusion (not shown) that servesto extend the recessed portion 102 and support the spring 98 prior tothe sections 48 and 50 being assembled. The disposition of the spring 98within the slot 72 and its connection to the spring retainer 92 and thefirst portion 22 of the housing 14, together with the angulardisposition of the neck member 76 and thus the roller assembly 78 to theguide plate 74, permits the roller assembly 78 to be selectively biasedin a material engaging position within the material receiving slot 28 ofthe housing 14 while at the same time allowing the roller assembly 78 tobe selectively moved to a retracted position wherein the rollers 88 and90 are substantially removed from the material receiving slot 28.

In order to enhance the clamping abilities of the clamp assembly 10 tothe material 12, at least a portion of the material receiving slot 28formed by the second portion 24 of the housing 14 is provided with aplurality of teeth 106 (See FIGS. 2, 4 and 5), which cooperate with therollers 88 and 90 of the roller assembly 78 to enhance gripping ofmaterial 12 disposed within the material receiving slot 28 of thehousing 14. However, it should be appreciated that housing 14 may beformed without teeth so as to form a smooth surface.

To enhance the biasing of the gripping assembly 16 in the first ormaterial engaging position, the spring 98 is desirably provided with atapered configuration wherein a smaller end of the spring 98 isconnected to the spring retainer 92 supported on the lower end portions86 of the neck members 76 and a larger end portion is disposed withinthe recessed portion 102 formed in the first portion 22 of the housing14 so that the spring 98 extends along the channel 32 formed in thehousing 14.

While the spring 98 has been shown as a tapered spring, it should beunderstood that the spring 98 can be provided with any configuration aslong as it functions to biased the rollers 88 and 90 in the first clothreceiving position as shown in FIG. 4, and at the same time allows therollers 88 and 90 of the roller assembly 78 to be selectively withdrawnfrom material engaging contact from the material receiving slot 28.

Referring now to FIG. 6, another embodiment of a clamp assembly 110 isshown. The clamp assembly 110 is similar to the clamp assembly 10 exceptthat the clamp assembly 110 includes a gripping assembly 112. Thus, forcommon components, like numbers will be used in accordance with thedescription of FIGS. 1-5. The gripping assembly 112 is similar to thegripping assembly 16 described above with the exception that thegripping assembly 112 includes a block member 118 instead of rollers.The block member 118 is connected to a lower end portion of the neckmember (not shown) and has an engaging surface 120.

From the above description, it is clear that the present invention iswell adapted to carry out the objects and to attain the advantagesmentioned herein as well as those inherent in the invention. Whilepresently preferred embodiments of the invention have been described forpurposes of this disclosure, it will be understood that numerous changesmay be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled inthe art and which are accomplished within the spirit of the inventiondisclosed and claimed.

1. A clamp assembly for selectively gripping material, the clampassembly comprising: a housing having a first end, a second end, a firstportion and a second portion, the first and second portions cooperatingto define a material receiving slot therebetween, the material receivingslot extending from the first end of the housing and terminating adistance from the second end of the housing, the first portion of thehousing having a channel angularly disposed relative to the materialreceiving slot and a slot formed therethrough, the channel having afirst end terminating a distance from the first end of the housing and asecond end terminating a distance from the second end of the housing,the second portion of the housing having a gripping surface; a grippingassembly slidably disposed within the channel and through the slot suchthat the channel and the slot cooperate to define a travel path so thatthe gripping assembly is selectively movable between a biased firstposition and a second position, the gripping assembly having a guideplate disposed on an outer surface of the first portion of the housingand a neck member connected to the guide plate so that the neck memberextends into and through the slot of the first portion of the housing,the gripping assembly further comprising at least two cylindricalrollers rotatably connected to a lower end portion of the neck memberwith at least one roller positioned on each side of the neck member inaxial alignment with the other roller, in the biased first position therollers extending into the material receiving slot in such a way as tocooperate with the gripping surface of the second portion of the housingto grip material positioned in the material receiving slot and in thesecond position the rollers being substantially withdrawn from thematerial receiving slot; and a spring positioned in the channel of thehousing for biasing the gripping assembly in the biased first position,the spring having one end engaging the gripping assembly and another endengaging the second end of the housing, the spring having a taperedconfiguration with a smaller end engaging the gripping assembly and alarger end engaging the second end of the housing.
 2. The clamp assemblyof claim 1 wherein the housing is provided with a substantially U-shapedconfiguration.
 3. The clamp assembly of claim 1 wherein the grippingsurface includes a plurality of teeth.
 4. The clamp assembly of claim 1further comprising a lug extending outwardly from the second end of thehousing for connecting a connecting member to the housing. 5-6.(canceled)
 7. The clamp assembly of claim 1 wherein the larger end ofthe spring is positioned in a recess formed in the second end of thehousing.